Tatiana and Olga 2010

Thursday, February 6, 2014

The photo I'm using for my painting of the Tsar and Alexis has the Tsar
in a 3/4quaters pose. After awhile his image insisted on a straight
forward facial portrait

Any artist or author will tell you there are times when
the creation will have its way and not behave as one wants

Okay , but I planned to keep the 3/4 quarters facing body and bring the two together.

I
like to paint the Romanov photo as it is . But bringing these two
view points together is a difficult task and an added problem was
the original photo is so fuzzy.

The Tsar's left shoulder has
little or no information and it's the trickiest part . I think that's what has stumped me. I also think whoever took the photo was sitting down as the pair seem to be looking down into the camera. Well the painting was having none of that either

On top of this was the amazingly complex
right sleeve....again , fuzzy

I went ahead and painted. I
painted and I painted and painted . And because I'm bull headed, I painted a
sleeve and tunic for 10 months, of the year and a half I have been
painting this picture

After 10 months I finally got that sleeve. But the tunic has defeated me

So I'm now turning the Tsar's body straight forward too...but I'm keeping that sleeve, by God

There are so many CLEAR photos of Nicolas where he's facing straight on, it will be a joy to paint using them!

This will be an unusual Romanov painting has it will not be of one photo only, but a combination. It's been tough, but I've learned so much and really I feel worse for those who have been waiting for this picture !

However as soon as I started painting the body straight on as well, things have gotten much better

Bronte Novel Update

The
Bronte Novel marches on. I have written a great deal and a good deal is still ahead. I look forward to blending the different parts together

I have taken a photo of some of the note books I
have filled as I write it. I write long hand and then type it into the
computer .

I find I write the way Emily Bronte wrote " Wuthering Heights ".
.... at least according to Martha Brown

Many's
the time that I have seen Miss Emily put down the tally iron as she was
ironing the clothes to scribble something on a piece of paper .
Whatever she was doing ironing or baking she had her pencil and paper by
her I know now that she was then writing Wuthering Heights

I
too have a folder of just scrapes of paper with notes, some are sales slips and backs of envelops ! Whatever ever is at hand will do . I also keep on hand lined note books for " beam ins" as I call them.

A scene will
uncoil in my mind and one has to get it down then and there. Something
imperative will be lost if one waits .Indeed it can't wait . Very often a scene will start with perhaps one line of dialog and build from there. I'm writing every day and enjoying it greatly

My church history research goes on...remarkably hard to track down, but vital to the story

I hop from one
part of the history to another. I'm also learning the usefulness of flash back to add to a scene . Not surprisingly while wring a Bronte novel , there is a good amount of crying as I write ...but there is alot of laughing too.

I'm also thoroughly enjoying using Victorian language. It
seems flowery, but it is a very exact language . One has to listen to what is being said, but if you do, you'll know just what the other person meant . It's fun to use